Alone [Book 3 of the Life Hearts Trilogy, previously called Lost Hearts]

Moon Big - Mixed POV

The title should tell you what's gonna happen in this chapter... but the NEXT chapter is the one where things get sad.

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"I present to you our new Grand Emperor," Sausage said grudgingly. "Jimmy Solidarity."

The gathered Emperors and Last Lifers muttered and whispered to each other in surprise and anger. Jimmy? How had Jimmy gotten it? It probably had something to do with how many Last Lifers were on his side; at least half of them were staying at the Cod Empire.

I picked my staff up from where I had dropped it when I died, brushing dirt off of the new crystal.

"Speech! Speech! Speech!" Someone, possibly Tango, chanted.

"I feel your pain," Scar winced.

"Scar for mayor!" Bdubs cheered. "Of Hermitcraft."

"We already had that," Impulse said. "Remember how that turned out?"

Bdubs did not respond, which I took to mean it had gone badly.

"And why are you trying to make me mayor again?" Scar asked. "You hate me."

"We are frenemies," Bdubs corrected. "Sometimes we're best friends, sometimes we're worst enemies. And right now we're the best friends in the world!"

"Hooray!" Scar cheered.

"Well, uh," Jimmy said. "I feel very, um, honored to have the Grand Crown and I couldn't have done it without a whole bunch of Last Lifers..."

"Good speech!" Sausage said, his tiny attention span timing out. "First rule!"

"Everyone has to have a cod sanctuary in their empire," Jimmy said, his voice a little stronger.

FWhip, always the salmon supporter, yelled a complaint.

"FWhip," I warned. "You made this thing. Anything that comes out of it that you don't like is your own fault."

Grumbling, FWhip turned around and started to head home. Most of the other Emperors and Last Lifers were close behind him.

I hesitated before following them. I would feel better after a good night's sleep.

What had happened to FWhip? He wasn't usually the one to introduce a way of controlling people. He just wanted to build up the Grimlands and cause chaos with the Cod Empire.

Something was wrong. And it had something to do with the Red Crown.

I found it on the desk in my study, exactly where I had left it. I put it in a more secure place before treating myself to an early bedtime.

When I woke up, the Listener still hadn't contacted me. So all I could do about the Red Crown was experiment to no avail and then lock it away in a vault.

No sooner had I done that then Pearl flew in. "Jimmy's dead," she said.

"What?" I said.

"Scott killed him. Scott has the crown now."

Scott was one of the most un-murdery people I knew, and he was very close allies with Jimmy.

FWhip wasn't the only one being affected.

"That crown needs to be destroyed," Pearl said. "Actually, both of them do. How's the Red Crown going?"

I glanced around. "The Listener hasn't contacted me since right after you all came from Last Life," I said. "I don't know what's going on, but there is something you should know. The Listener says that Grian and Blue are imprisoned in the Downside-Up. She said that unless Grian accepts his past, they won't be able to escape. I assume you know what that means, but you don't have to tell me. I just thought you should know."